James M. Caffrey likes to stand at the top of Chesterfield Gorge when the merganser river ducks fly 10 to 15 feet above the surface of the Westfield River. From his vantage point 50 or 60 feet above, he gets a rare perspective on the fish-eating diving ducks. Sometimes he can even see in the water trout that have “no idea you’re spying on them,” he said.

Chesterfield Gorge, one of the properties overseen by the trustees, is a natural formation that allows visitors to experience the region’s geologic past and its recreational potential. “It’s a very dramatic geological feature,” Caffrey says. “It’s probably one of the most attractive and dramatic river gorges in New England” with is deep, long views down the river, wall of pine and hemlock trees and sounds of the water rushing through the gorge that is a constriction area for the upper Westfield River watershed.

Chesterfield Gorge is the entrance to an extensive natural recreation area along the Westfield River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River for its strong ecological and recreational values.

If you go

Chesterfield Gorge Where: River Road, Chesterfield Admission: Trustees members and children free; non-member adults $2, children (under 12) free. A ranger collects the fees; when a ranger is not on duty, the honor system applies.Hours: April 1-Dec. 1, daily, 8 a.m. to sunset Directions: From Northampton: Follow Route 9 West about 4.4 miles. Turn left onto Chesterfield Road/Route 143 West. At the intersection of Route 143 and Ireland Street in Chesterfield, take Ireland Street south for 0.8 mile. Turn left onto River Road to parking on left.For more information: Call (413) 532-1631

To be at the top of the gorge is a thrill Caffrey likened “on a smaller scale” to the looking down upon the Grand Canyon. “After a storm there can be roiling and crashing water coming through. There’s always quite a current.”

American Indians fished in the area below the gorge, and a bridge used to span the river where a small community once existed; stone abutments for a bridge dating to about 1762 remain of the important link in the former road between Boston and Albany.

In 1835, flood waters swept away the bridge along with nearby gristmills and sawmills.

Today, between 5,000 and 6,000 visitors stop at the gorge annually, Caffrey estimated, noting the number is difficult to make accurate because the area is staffed only on summer weekends.

With the sights and sounds of the gorge and the surrounding area, the “different colors of the (fall) foliage put everything together,” he said.